Review of Chicago XXXVI: Now

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a pretty die-hard fan of the band Chicago. However, we have not seen much new music from the celebrated “rock band with horns” since 1991 – just two albums of new material entering this year (not including compilations, Christmas albums and a big-band themed project in the mid-1990s).

Needless to say, Chicago XXXVI: Now (also known as “NOW” Chicago XXXVI) has been much anticipated by fans of the veteran rock band. And the 36th album in the band's official catalog does not disappoint.

Fans who have wanted to hear more of the band's legendary horn section will be very happy with XXXVI. The album kicks off with the title cut – co-written by vocalist and bassist Jason Scheff, it features a sound and a horn chart that are throwbacks to the band's popular mid-70s sound. From there, the album segues into “More Will Be Revealed,” a Robert Lamm track that blends a contemporary sound and the band's signature horns into an enjoyable sound.

Indeed, those two songs give a nice preview of what Chicago XXXVI: Now is like. Songs like “America,” Love Lives On” and “Free At Last” could have fit on any of Chicago's albums in the mid-1970s, while other songs like “Nice Girl” and “Crazy Happy” lean in a more contemporary directions. Other songs like “America” and “Naked In the Garden of Allah” hearken back to the band's political songs from its early days. And the horns play a big part in all of them.

Indeed, Chicago XXXVI: Now is a great blend of the band's trademark sound combined with a nice side of 2014. The end result is one of the band's best albums since since the mid-1980s.

Buhler's rating: ***** stars out of five.